I am in London right now and will be in various places in the UK for the next 6 weeks. Hence, I have started a new blog about this trip, You can access it by clicking on the link on the right-hand column that refers to my new 2025 trip, or you can click on this link below:
https://draft.blogger.com/blog/posts/3634323406401791262
I wasn't sure what this was, but when I saw the sign on I-80, I decided since I had some extra time, I would check this place out. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised to see a museum and good parking for my RV. It is well worth an hour or more stop!
Basically, this interpretive center covers the California Trail that many immigrants used on their way to California. The eastern part of this trail through Nevada was combined with the Oregon Trail, which heads left around that area.
The entry sign:
I really liked these displays of comments by travelers that are on the entrance walkway.
This state park is just a few miles east of Provo, Utah, in the Washoe Mountains. It is a pretty drive here and the campsites are excellent--well spread apart, good views, paved roads and sites, and full hookups.
It was a pretty drive through the mountains both coming and going. There are a couple of small towns nearby, but I stocked up with groceries and other supplies in Provo before I drove here.
I was only at each of these briefly and did not do any sightseeing in this area because of lack of time and I was still recovering from my bout of bronchitis and whooping cough, which meant a lot of time staying indoors and resting.
They were both very nice places, however, and I would easily go back to either of them.
James M. Robb Island Section State Park
This Colorado State Park is along I-70 in western Colorado, it is near the towns of Grand Junction and Palisades. It is a fruit growing area, so good fruit in season. The area is known also for steep cliffs and nearby high mountains. Here is a photo of the highway going into the area.
Campsites are nice, but most have electric only, and the campground is located between the highway and the Colorado River. One important fact is that the sites on the western side of the campground are shaded by an early-setting sun, which makes them cooler in hot weather. Basically, when i was there it was cool, but instead of setting at 8 pm, the sun set behind the big cliff on the left of this photo at about 4 pm!
Another photo of the huge cliff on the western side of the state park.
Rifle Gap State Park
This state park is only about 65 miles north of James M. Robb State Park. It is located at a higher elevation, so there are some snow-covered mountains in the distance. The state park is about 15 miles from a decent-sized town with major stores such as Walmart.
Here is the drive into the town of Rifle Gap. Pretty countryside.
This is the dam that creates the lake this campground is located on.
I am doing my best to catch up with my blogging, but I have had two major problems lately that have slowed me down. The first is that I have been recovering from whooping cough, which I came down with about April 22. I had been tired and had a slight cough, but when I arrived at Zion National Park on April 23rd, my cough turned into the worst I have ever had in my life. I would cough deeply and in a long string, and then gasp for air, making a loud whooping noise. It was very scary to cough so hard you thought you might never catch your breath again. That lasted a little more than a week. A trip to the urgent care diagnosed me with bronchitis and gave me prednisone, which unfortunately caused me to come down with thrush. Just what I needed.
A second urgent care visit a few days later diagnosed me more specifically with whooping cough, and they gave me antibiotics specific to this disease. I am still coughing a little, but it is a normal cough, and I am not coughing as often. However, I have been very tired, so I have been staying indoors and resting, not taking as many photos or doing much sightseeing. Recommendation: Whooping cough is going around, so make sure your Tdap vaccination is up-to-date, as you do NOT want to get this disease!!
Second big problem is that my camera fell off my dash as I was driving, and the lens is not going in and out easily. I have to sometimes push it closed, and I have noticed a lot of my photos are not focusing properly, so I have fewer good ones to post.
Anyway, Dead Horse Point is a state park located on a long promontory that is a few miles off the road from Moab to Canyonlands National Park. It has a very nice campground, but they are having water problems right now, so are asking you to bring your own. This is not really a problem for me as my tanks hold 60 gallons of fresh water.
Even if you don't camp here, if you drive to the end of the road, you will be able to look over the cliffs and have an incredible view of the Colorado River in the valley. You can also drive down there on a paved and then dirt road that goes from Moab to Canyonlands. The only problem is the very steep switchback road at the end, so you can also take a tour, which I did several years ago.
Your first stop should be the visitor center. This is the view from a side canyon there.
Spring is here in this part of Utah, so could not resist this photo. Not sure what shrub this is, but is was amazingly full of flowers.
Theses are berries on a juniper bush? Gin, anyone?
A glimpse of the Colorado River in the distance.
It's only a couple of miles to the end of the highway and the best view in the park!
Makes you want to go down there.
A glimpse of the campground.
Nice dirt road that is driveable by most trucks and even cars.
These are settling ponds of a mining operation in the valley.
Great view of the snow on the mountains in the distance.
Leaving Dead Horse Point. Even the drive out is scenic.
Next stop is Colorado.
